Interview with Jennifer Aniston
SKY Magazine, August 1999

As Friends' Rachel has got her act together with the latest series of the unstoppable sitcom (she's simple, independant and career-driven), so her alter-ego Jennifer Aniston has increasingly invaded the corners of our lives. Be it during the fourth run of Friends or in her big screen hat-trick, She's The One, Picture Perfect and The Object Of My Affection, Ms Aniston has proven herself and established a load of respect. Not to mention nabbing top billing in one readers' poll after another. So you could be forgiven for almost expecting a hard-nosed, motor-mouthed control freak to emerge in interviews. But you couldn't be more off the mark. Instead, this vision of fragile beauty,
with flawless creamy skin, nice hair (of course) and the bluest eyes on the planet, glides into a plush suite at a ritzy Beverly Hills hotel wearing a we're-all-girls-together grin. Wearing a figure-hugging, spagetti-strap, dip-dyed dress, the Friends star is a lot thinner in the flesh and unfathomably sweet. Butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.
Jennifer is here to promote last month's romantic comedy, The Object Of My Affection, in which she plays Nina, a loveable bohemian feminist, who falls pregnant by her boyfriend but is head over heels in love with her gay roommate. 
We meet the day after Ginger Spice exercises some of her girl power by announcing to the world that she's had enough of being a Spice Girl (what took you so long, Geri?), so it seems rather fitting to open the conversation by informing her of the mourning of British pop fans... 

How would you feel if one of the central six left Friends - something to consider after the Spice Girls split? 
Who left the Spice Girls? The Spice Girls broke up? 

Ginger Spice has left. 
Which is Ginger? 

The redhead. 
The one with the blonde in the front? She quit the band? What are they going to do? Are they going to go on? 

Erm, I'm usually the one asking the questions. They're going to tour the US without her. How do you feel about that? 
I'm a little in shock! I gotta catch my breath for a minute. No, it just makes me laugh for some reason. I don't know why.

Maybe I can become the next Spice Girl! Whad'ya think? What kind of Spice would you be?
(Laughs)I don't know. 

So, how would you feel if the show became Friend-less? 
I don't know. I just don't think it will ever happen. 

What are your expectations for the next series? What do you want to happen? 
Well, I love his English friend but I don't want Ross to move, so... Yeah, I don't know what's going to happen 'cos people love the pursuit with Ross and Rachel more than they love us together. I don't think they - the writers - know what's going to happen. They get themselves to the end of a season and then they say: "Thank God, we've got four months to figure out what to do." 

But what are your hopes for next season? 
Well, it's been great in the last season, in terms of Rachel really getting in touch with her identity, her independance, her job and making her own living. And also being in a relationship at the same time and not knowing how to handle the two. I love that. But I would love to see somebody move out or do something. 

Who do you most socialise with from Friends ?
I would say mainly the girls. We're very close. 

How's Lisa's son Julian doing? Have you met him yet? 
I've not met her baby. I spoke to her right before, as her legs were numbing, and right after. She's so happy. She's in New York making a movie. I just got back myself and they told me, "Yeah, Lisa's in New York." I'm like, what do you mean? She's just had a baby. She can't be doing anything! 

How do you know when you're in love? 
I think it's butterflies. I don't know what it looks like and I don't know how to describe it. I think it's just a feeling and God knows if I've ever even felt it! 

Do you believe in love at first sight? 
(Long pause)No. No. I don't think so. 

So, you think you have to get to know someone before there's any smooching? 
Oh, yeah. Oh, definitely. I mean, you can fall in lust with someone at first sight or even in like with someone at first sight, but I don't think you can fall in love at first sight. 

How do you feel about getting married and starting a family? 
Oh, I definitely want to do all of that. My dream as a little girl, of course, was always to have a husband
and a family and all that stuff. 

How do you deal with what the tabloids have written about you? 
I just ignore it now because it's all bullshit. It's amazing what they'll come up with. I mean, it really amazes me. 

What's the best thing you've ever read about yourself lately? 
The funniest thing that comes to mind was when I read I was dating this wrestler (shouts out to publicist sitting in the back room), what was his name? He's a world wrestler. Oh, Flash, that's it! He was married, but his wife was OK with it (laughs). There were like direct quotes from this guy! 

Did you ever meet Flash? 
No! I've never met a lot of people I've been hooked up with. 

What's the most hurtful thing that you've read? 
It was probably when I was going through a break-up. I just can't do anything in private. And people's feelings were getting hurt and untrue things were being said. You know, speculation about why, and all
that crap. 

Do you feel like you want to clear things up? 
It makes you want to go out and make a public statement. But no, I'm not going to give it to them. These tabloids are just trash. 

What's it like to go through a break-up in public? 
It's just bizarre. It's so not-newsworthy. I mean that's not interesting to me. I guess it's always been like that. 

Did you read the tabloid gossip before you became a celeb? 
Oh, sure. I still get it. Back then I also believed it, but now I know what it is. 

So, would you say this is the largest downside to being successful in Hollywood? 
Yeah, and it's not a bad one. I'd say it's a downside to walk out of your house and there's somebody there, waiting for you. All of a sudden: Woo... There are people out there. Or being followed in a car, I don't know if that man's a paparazzo or just somebody who wants to hunt me down and murder me. You just don't know. So everything goes through your brain. 

Have you ever called the police because you've felt harassed? 
Yeah. I've driven somebody right into a police station. Don't mess with me. There has to be a line drawn because you wanna give what you want to give, but then you also need to protect what's yours.